Here we are - another year underway for our fabulous One Fine Beauty Team! We are currently over 50% booked for our season, which is great - this generation of wedding clientele actually books their makeup services quite a bit later than our clients in seasons past! But hey - we are easy and breezy - give us a shout anyways, even if your upcoming nuptials are happening before GOT is back on the air!

Being able to adapt to the flows of business and being really flexible to work with are two of the things our clients compliment us on. So if you’re still looking for an artist for your BIG day, don’t hesitate to drop us a line!

We have 12 talented artists between Ottawa to Niagara/NOTL, all ready to make you picture perfect and enhance your natural radiance and beauty on the day it matters most!

**Please note, Shannon is 95% booked for all Saturdays during wedding season, but don’t let that stop you! Sometimes, she can squeeze in an extra bride, but quite honestly - you are in the best hands in the city with any of the #OFB team!

I know, I know...

I'm late to the game here, but something about mailing lists has always scared me. Besides the fact that I'm a unsubscriber (#guilty), I've always wondered what I could do to provide our clients and fanbase some sort of additional info in a non-annoying way (that last part is super-duper important). But by being a professional makeup artist for nearly 20 years and lordt, I'm dating myself, I'm bound to have a few tricks up my sleeve, amirite?! So for 2018, I've decided to try out this whole newsletter thing - I know that I do have a lot of good info up in this noggin of mine and I feel a bit selfish not sharing it ;)

Truthfully, whenever I do seminars, my first thought is always "but what am I going to teach today - everyone knows all this stuff I'm about to talk about?" To which the retort from 95% of my attendees exclaim "No, we don't know everything you're about to say - this is why we are here!"

Point taken :)

So for now, the newsletter will remained unnamed until I think of something genius, witty or just plain awesome, but I promise good content! No junky email cluttering up your inbox, and you can unsubscribe anytime (although we hope you won't!)

It's no surprise that we love all things weddings - and are happy to announce (or remind, depending on how long you've been following us!) that we are Wedding Chicks approved!!

We love the gals over at Wedding Chicks - they have über amounts of inspiring blog posts covering all things beauty, DIY, shower ideas, honeymoon & travel, and the list goes on! Be sure to check out the 'Printables' section - there are such great stationary ideas in there... and they are all FREE!

While you're over there, take a peek at our profile and let us know what you think!

2018 is ramping up and there's no shortage on lucky gals getting engaged to the man of their dreams! We've had an influx of bookings for this coming year and some dates are already booked solid, so contact us soon to avoid disappointment. Remember - your photos will last a lifetime - make sure you feel like a million bucks in all of them!

Ahhh, love is in the air! It's that time of year where we dust off our finest clothes and head out for a lovely romantic dinner. But what about if you're just heading to a pub and a movie, or a first date at a coffee shop? The makeup you choose to wear should compliment where you are going - if you're heading to Starbucks, you may want to hold off on the glitter (unless, ya know...you really love glitter!).
This morning on CTV Morning Live, we discussed the when's and why's of the makeup I chose for three date night looks!

First model, my lovely Jen - she's on her way to a coffee shop. Cozy, casual and comfortable, but bright lights, so we kept the focus on skin! Especially in the winter months, we need to make sure we pay particular attention to our skin, and feed it full of all the yummy things. For Jen's luminous skin, I used The Body Shop's Fresh Nude Foundation for that radiant glow, and some of the Shade Adjusting Lightening drops to lighten where I needed, as well as to highlight a bit. Next we used Stila Convertible Colour on the cheeks and lips! (note: for the cheeks, use a fluffy blush brush for a super glowy, diffused look).

For Marla, she's going to dinner and a movie! We gave her a slightly smokier eye using our trusty Urban Decay Naked2 palette, and perfected her skin with Fresh Nude Foundation listed above. Kept the cheeks soft and used Meredesso's Lip Treats in Sheer Burgundy for lightweight, buildable colour. Lots of yummy ingredients in this one with sunflower seed oil, grape seed oil and Vitamins C & E. It also doubles as a fantastic primer for matte lipsticks, as there isn't too much slip to it.

For myself (ahem...me, a model? Not really), I went all out with glitz and glamour! What can I say... it's kinda my style :) Smokey, sultry eye that I topped off with Stila's Magnificent Metals in Kitten, just stamped over my lid to give a twinkly effect. I'm wearing Ardell Demi Wispies (a huge fave of mine!), and MAC Retro Matte lipstick in Flat Out Fabulous. Under the lipstick (which believe me, has pretty incredible wear on it's own), I paired it up with The Body Shop's Lip & Cheek Stain. That way, once my lip colour wears down, I still have something behind it to back it up a bit.

Ahhh, who doesn't love a nice trip away?? With weight restrictions and checked luggage charges, it's best to keep the beauty regime low-key by not bringing a ton of products (and it'll leave you extra space for all the shoes!).
This morning on CTV Morning Live, Melissa Lamb and I were talking about travel beauty essentials, and looked at some pretty cool products - check them out!

Mèreadesso Travel Ease Kit - mereadesso.com, Nordstrom, $45; includes their amazing Face + Neck Cleanser, cleansing cloth and All-In-One Moisturizer. The AIO Moisturizer is pretty amazing because it's your day cream, night cream, eye cream, serum, and primer all in one! Talk about being able to pack light with all those great skin care product in on convenient pouch! And the best part - the packets are resealable :)

Jack Black Jet Set Traveler - getjackblack.ca, Nordstrom, $33; Jack Black is a fantastic skin care and grooming line for men - free from parabens, sulfates, colorants and synthetic fragrance. This set is a $42 value and includes everything needed to shave and care for your skin while away on your travels. Carry on friendly.

L'Oréal Professionnel Wet Domination by Tecni. Art - select salons; embrace the wet look while on vacation - no need for heat or styling tools to achieve one of the season's biggest trends in hairstyling. Both the Extreme Splash and Shower Shine are easy to use, and recommended for all hair types.

Pureology Fresh Approach Dry Shampoo and Condition - select salons; who doesn't love a great dry shampoo - it helps to effortlessly refresh your hairstyle and absorb excess oils. But Dry Condition... this stuff is *amazing* at managing the ends of your hair, taming frizzies and smoothing your overall look. With Pureology's Ant-Fade Complex, you can be sure it's actually doing good things for your colour and/or highlights, as well. See it as a little TLC for your tresses that may be a little stressed from all that sand and sun ;)

Tia Beauty Hair Removal Laser 4x - triabeauty.ca, $515; Tria's number one seller for laser hair removal. This seriously makes it so easy to be razor-free during your travels with a few quick treatments at home before you go! With as little as one treatment every two weeks, you can be virtually hair-free in about 3 months (results vary), using the same diode that you would be treated with at a dermatologists' office for a fraction of the price. Win! (PSA - when using lasers, always use a sunscreen)

Tria Age-Defying Eye Wrinkle Correcting Laser - triabeauty.ca, $285; This breakthrough anti-aging laser is uniquely designed for treating the eye area that corrects fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes for eye-opening results in just two minutes a day, for a visible younger, more radiant look. Keep that fresh, radiant, just-got-back-from-vacation look going and going. Perfect for travel because of it's ease of use and compact size. Follow up with your favourite nourishing eye cream, and remember, when using lasers, always use a sunscreen!

The Body Shop Aloe Soothing Gel - if you do get a burn, this soothing facial gel containing Community Fair Trade organic aloe vera will help to cool and soothe the skin.

Skin:

MAC Prolongwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation - 24 hour wear, under almost any conditions - perfect for all day & night wear (*If you will be outside all day, be sure to start with a moisturizer that contains SPF, such as the Body Shop one listed above)

MAC Strobe Cream- a fantastic, super hydrating moisturizer that doubles as a cosmetic product for that perfect "strobing" effect.

Kiss Polish Pop - these funky stickers (featured in an aztec motif) are super easy to use, and last well with a nice top coat to seal them in.

Essie Gel Setter Top Coat - the ultimate in long-wearing top coats - gives your nails the shine and durability of a gel polish, but without the lamp! (*NB - I did my pedi 2.5 weeks ago and the polish is STILL in excellent shape - no chips!)

Back again with some *amazing* products to get your body in tip-top shape and ready for summer! From products that primp your toes, to remove unsightly hair, read on to get to know some great gadgets that will help you achieve incredible results that LAST!
Check out the video here!

Today, we'll start at the bottom and work our way up!

Clarisonic Pedi Foot Transformation System - $230, clarisonic.ca; Back again with their amazing sonic technology, Clarisonic now has their Pedi Foot Transformation System that helps to transform rough, dry feet and toes into perfectly summer-ready condition. The kit includes the Clarisonic Pedi Device, Smoothing Disc, Wet/Dry Buffing Brush Head and three foot care products - Pedi-Buff, Pedi-Boost and Pedi-Balm

For daily use, use the Wet/Dry Buffing Brush head with Pedi-Buff (a physical exfoliator) to cleanse, exfoliate and buff dry and/or damaged feet. Finish with the non-slip Pedi-Balm (no more slipping and sliding around the bathroom floor!) to further hydrate and protect.

Twice a week, use the Smoothing Disc on dry feet before the Pedi-Buff & Wet/Dry Buffing Brush. At this point, you can further treat with the Pedi-Boost, which contains liquid exfoliants such as lactic & glycolic, bringing your level of foot care even beyond what physical exfoliants can offer. This will leave your feet feeling rejuvenated and renewed.

Tria Laser Precision - $345, triabeauty.ca; This is an amazing little wand that helps to banish unwanted hair from those curvy, sensitive areas with ease in the comfort of your own home! It was designed for those areas that are smaller and harder to target (read: bikini, underarms, upper lip & chin), leaving your skin silky and soft, and free from ingrown hairs, razor bumps and redness. It is important to note that the Tria Laser Precision features the same Canada Medical Device Licence diode laser technology offered in dermatologists offices, but with the comfort and convenience at home. How it works is a term called selective photothermolysis (sounds long, but once you read what it does, it makes sense :) Beams of laser energy are absorbed by the dark hair within the hair follicle and this is created into heat. The heat then disables the hair follicle and this prevents it from growing new hair. This is why it is important to have just freshly shaved the area, and to have not waxed - the hair has to be there to follow the trail down to the follicle! For optimal results, use every two weeks for approximately 3 months. Now, as with anything, there are some skin tones that it will work better one, as some hair that it is most effective to treat. To find out if Tria Laser Precision is right for you, check out FAQ section of the Tria website here.

Kiss LED Gel Lamp - $34.99 and Kiss Everlasting Gel Polish - $11.99 each, Wal-Mart; Super high-gloss shine that is chip-resistant for up to 2 weeks! I absolutely love gel polishes for my nails, as they are weak and brittle, and regular polish usually chips in about 5 minutes. This system from Kiss is incredibly easy to use, and so cost-effective it makes me giddy! As someone who frequents the nail salons more often that I care to admit, my husband tells me an at-home option is pretty much necessary...le sigh. But in three easy steps, you can have nails in summer ready colours with literally no drying time, no dents or scratches. Once they are cured from the lamp, you are done! So I'm happy with that :)

Kiss Everlasting Gel Polish comes in 15 individual colours including neutral, brights, shimmer and classic french manicure options. Top Coat and Base Coat are also needed, as well as the Prep & Cleanse.

Great option obviously for fingernails, but also fantastic for a super long-wearing pedicure as well!

Garnier Ombrelle Ultra-Light Advanced Weightless Body Lotion SPF 50+ - starting at $19.99, most major drugstores; Finally a sunblock that not only protects for up to 80 minutes in water, but has the most light-weight silky feel, it's almost as if you're not wearing any sunblock at all! Not sticky or greasy and no white film - which is challenging for such a high level of UVA/UVB broad spectrum protection. Also available, Weightless Face Lotion in SPF 30 & 60 with the same lightweight feel, makes it great for day to day, under makeup and also for oily/combo skin.

Such amazing products out for the summer to get our bodies ready to go and keep them looking their best!

So those hot and humid days will be upon us shortly, and everyone always asks, "How can I keep my makeup from shifting and moving?". Well, there's a few different suggestions for it, but most often it comes down to product selection. When looking for products that will withstand +30° temperatures, the best thing to do is to look for long-wearing or water-resistant/water-proof formulas. One thing you will notice, is that most of those formulas will either be in a liquid or cream format - very rarely will you find a powder product that will be waterproof. But hey, that's not saying it can't be done!
Today with Melissa at CTV Morning Live, I talked about some really fab products on the market that are a great addition to your makeup bag, to help keep your face looking spot on during the summer months!

MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation - maccosmetics.com, $38.50; this is taken directly from the MAC website "A tenacious waterproof formula that can be used as a foundation or concealer, wearing for an unprecedented 24 hours. Neither rain nor tears can budge this oil-free watertight product that actually repels moisture from the surface of the face. The formula blends seamlessly on the skin with medium to full weightless coverage and a natural satin finish." Whoa, nelly... this foundation is a KEEPER. The coverage is beautiful, the finish is stunning and it really does NOT budge. For any MUA, take note - this is completely kit-worthy!

This foundation is so amazing, we are skipping the powder - love the finish of this so much, so now we are onto blush!

Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo 24hr cream shadow - Walmart, $10; a long-wearing cream-gel formula that really helps prevent creasing and fading throughout the day. Comes in a nice colour selection, along with different textures (Leather); can be worn alone or as a base for other shadows.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Bourbon - Sephora, $24; a spectacular colour range of the most amazing, budge-proof eye liners! Choose between a stark, defined line, or smudge it out - you've got 30 seconds to decide before it becomes locked down and won't move for the entire day. Shades include creamy mattes and dynamic twinkly colours. Love them!

Blinc Mascara - Sephora, $30; this was the mascara that started it all with the tube-technology! Flake, smudge and water-resistant, this formula is also the #1 choice for someone with extremely sensitive eyes. Although it's water-resistant, it comes off without too much effort, just by using warm water and gentle pressure. Such a great option for summer months!

Kat Von D Tattoo Precision Brow - Sephora, $23; she'd probably never put her name on something that didn't somewhat resemble a tattoo, and this brow marker does not disappoint! An extremely fine tipped marker that allows for the most subtle brow strokes to help fill in where needed. Available in Blonde, Light Brown and Medium Brown (although I find the medium a bit warm for my liking), these markers will stay put and leave your brows looking on point!

Covergirl Outlast All Day Lipcolour - Walmart, $10; a vast colour range is available in this 16hr wear lip colour! This is pretty well guaranteed not to move once you apply the colour portion to completely bare lips, then top it with the moisturizing top coat. No need for touchups, and no need for liner with this product either.

Skindinavia The Makeup Finishing Spray - skindinavia.com, $29USD for 4oz; an incredible makeup setting spray - keeps your makeup looking 'just applied' for up to 16 hours! The concept behind this amazing spray is that creates a breathable web on your skin, to help prevent moisture evaporation, as moisture loss can result in colour loss, dry/cracked makeup and oily shine - all things that can break down your makeup. Pretty cool product - another one worth mentioning is Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray.

This is a look we always see on the runway, gracing the pages of magazines. The ironic thing about it, is that it takes nearly as much makeup to create it as a regular day look! It's really all about perfecting the skin and having that natural glow - not a lot of colours, no harshness. Just simple beauty at it's finest.

Here's a look at the products I used on-air:

Mèreadesso Tinted All-in-One Moisturizer - Nordstrom or mereadesso.com, $48; this is an *incredible* product, so jam-packed of so many nourishing and filled with anti-oxidants. This all in one takes care of all the basics and more - moisturizer, serum, eye cream, & night cream. Multi-use as it can also be built up under the eyes as a concealer - WIN!

BeautyBlender - Sephora, $26; a revolutionary, streak-free application technique in the way of makeup. Regular sponges tend to absorb most of your product, rendering them wasteful. The beautyblender sponge features an open-cell structure that fills with small amounts of water when wet. This helps to minimize waste, and create a lightweight, beautiful finish to your skin.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle Treatment - Walmart, $10; an incredibly lightweight, yet medium full coverage concealer that won't settle in fine lines. Formulated to help reduce dark circles. This product has a basic colour selection (fair, light etc) but also has a Neutralizer shade for stubborn dark circles, and Brightener to add luminosity, which I love.

Saint Cosmetics Bronzer in Heaven Sent - saintcosmetics.ca, $31; An up and coming, all natural, made in Canada company, Saint Cosmetics provides 144 products free from perfumes and harsh chemicals. Heaven Sent is an extremely lightweight bronzer shade, that give the skin a subtle glow.

Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Hibiscus - Walmart, $8; a super natural way to keep your pout looking plump and moisturized. These tinted lip balms give a lovely about of hydration and colour to the lips.

There you go - a super simple step-by-step on how to create a natural no makeup, makeup look :)